My Prize
by Freya Ishtar
Summary: When a kidnapped Migdarian witch is offered as a prize in a grand melee, Thor wants to save her and Loki wants to claim her. No true victor emerging, they are forced to share the spoils. The brothers soon realize the mysterious entity hosting the melee has a plan in giving them the witch, and that Hermione Granger—true to her word—is NO prize. *Poly-Fic* ON HOLD
1. The Stolen Witch

**Author's Notes :**

 **1)** This fic is a canon-divergent AU for _**both**_ verses. Some elements from the canon storylines will still have taken place/be present, others will not.

 **2)** May contain themes such as, but not limited to, smut, violence, and possessive behavior **.**

 **3)** Please understand updates to my fics are sporadic. This is because while, admittedly, I do have a lot of fanfictions, I am a published author irl & currently need to divide what time I am able to devote to writing between fanfictions & original fiction works.

 **4)** Do not be wary of the number of new fics I'm starting. There is no intention of leaving any of my fics, or of any new fics interfering with already posted ones. _However_ , as I am updating sporadically as it is, it's more fair to put the opening chapters of all waiting fics out for readers to sample, so that you can decide which stories merit the investment of waiting for updates, and which you simply are not interested in reading any further.

 **This should be filed under "reasons to not let Freya watch Marvel trailers."**

* * *

 **Disclaimer : I do not own **_**Harry Potter**_ **, or** _ **Marvel Cinematic Universe**_ **, or any affiliated characters.**

 ***Pathios is a planet I previously created for use in my other MCU/HP crossover** _ **Bewitched by You**_ **. For those reading that fic, please be advised this is an alternate version of that world.**

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 **Chapter One**

The Stolen Witch

Being Hermione Granger had never been a cakewalk. There was the Second Wizarding War— _losing_ the Second Wizarding War—sending her parents away with no memory of her, watching her best friends perish or turn Dark, and, of course, the whole _Mudblood_ thing, which had never done her any favors.

Hiding out, licking her wounds, running again. It had become a bit of a rut, until she realized no one even knew she was still alive.

Though strangely humbling, it was also a freeing notion. There was nothing left to fight for, anymore. Which made her wonder what use she could be to anyone, now. A one-woman rebellion would only get her killed.

After months of running and hiding, Hermione had finally peeked out her head to see what had become of the world. And . . . .

Much, and yet nothing at all, had changed. All other known Muggle-borns had gone into hiding, or sought asylum in other Wizarding communities, leaving Wizarding Britain to the pure and half-bloods who supported Voldemort's machinations.

She realized she, too, should leave. There was nothing for her there. She, too, could have peace and a purpose, again, _if_ she could make her way out of the British Isles in one piece.

Though she got as close to the border as she could by Apparation, she still had to go the rest of the way on foot. Through dense forest. At night. Alone. But then, she was Hermione Granger, and she'd already faced _so_ much. A simple journey through a forest—on _Muggle_ lands—should be nothing.

And, yet—presumably because she had the worst luck of any witch, _ever_ —she found herself running.

She could still hear them, their heavy footfalls pounding the forest floor behind her. _Why me?_ She lowered her head and powered on, pushing herself to run faster, despite feeling like her legs were ready to give out from under her.

Flinging curses and hexes at them had not worked—some sort of enchantment shielded them, she thought, because the magical effects seemed to bounce right off of nothingness—and even Apparating herself to the edge of her eye-line didn't seem to shake them. Any other place she could think to Apparate to without worry that the distance could injure her would only put her right back where she did _not_ want to be.

Her lungs burned and the chill of the night air bit at her face.

Just . . . happening along, minding her own business and these creatures, these _things_ that were human-but-not, came out of seemingly nowhere and started after her. And they did not appear to tire, but perhaps that was only her imagination, after all, when was the last time she had a hard run like this?

She did _not_ like it. More than thinking she might die running from them, she felt like _prey_. And it was this sensation, alone, that pushed her to keep moving even as she felt like her heart might explode from the prolonged exertion.

Then, the steps at her back slowed. They didn't stop, though, despite their gradual deceleration.

Sooner than she could feel relief, even as she forced herself to keep going, Hermione understood that their continual slowing served a purpose . . . . They hadn't wanted her to notice they were easing back from their pursuit.

She was being corralled.

She skittered to a stop, pivoting on her heel to change direction. Her realizations came too late. One of the creatures appeared before her, and she barreled right into him.

Powerful arms locked round her, pinning her wand to her side and wrenching her clear off the ground.

"Put me down! Put me down _this_ minute!"

As she struggled and shrieked, she felt her wand plucked from her fingers.

Hermione fought harder at the loss, even as she stopped screaming. Looking to the source to find who'd taken her weapon, she spotted another of the creatures, with their bizarre, mottled skin coloring—all different shades and hues blending into one another—examining her wand.

This one appeared taller than the others, as those who'd been chasing her finally drew closer, and his garments finer. Probably their leader, though she got the feeling he was more specifically some sort of general.

The creature—flicking his unsettling, fiery-eyed gaze at her for only a moment—snapped the wood in two.

Hermione _felt_ it, as though the sound hit her square in the chest. " _No_!"

He was disturbingly calm, a serene grin curving his lips as he watched her continue to fight. His bare brows drew upward, giving her the impression that he was surprised she still had any energy left with which _to_ struggle.

"Who are you? What do you want with me?!"

"You may call me Beilor, sorceress."

Hermione opened her mouth to protest the title, but he cut her off with a sharp tutting sound. Damn her logical mind that the first thing she wanted to do—well, _besides_ get away, admonish him for getting witches and sorceresses confused, ask if witches and sorceresses _were_ the same thing to his people, explaining the misnomer—was inquire about how it was that the creature spoke English, as she got the overwhelming impression that they were _not_ from around here.

Beilor retrieved a small metal device from a pouch at his waist and stepped closer to her. "I suggest you save your strength. Whoever wins you might desire to use you right away."

She did _not_ like the sound of that, at all, and renewed her efforts, going so far as to swing her legs out in an attempt to kick at him.

He only continued with that disconcertingly calm demeanor, even as he reached toward her to clamp an unforgiving hand around her throat.

The last thing Hermione recalled was a sharp sting in the side of her neck.

* * *

"Loki?!"

The jet-haired man rolled his eyes, but just as quickly stifled the irritated expression as he turned to face the familiar voice bellowing his name. "Thor! What an unexpected pleasure to see you here."

Thor, in all his lumbering, blond, Asgardian glory, made his way through the coliseum's antechamber to stand before his so-called brother. "If you keep popping up in places where I happen to be, it is going to be that much more difficult for me to pretend I do not know where you are."

Loki's perfectly arched brows shot up. "Oh, is that what we are doing? Pretending as though you have not been hunting me like a common criminal?"

"The words you are looking for are 'searching for you to bring you home,' and there has never been anything about you which anyone in their right mind would call _common_."

"You flatter me, Brother," Loki said, unable to help a sly grin. "What are you doing here?"

Thor was rather certain Loki already knew the answer to that question, but he replied, anyway. "I am here for the prize."

"Are not we all?"

Biting back a frown, Thor made a low, rumbling sound of anger in the back of his throat. So, Loki _was_ here for the witch.

Loki only seemed amused by the displeased utterance. "Such games are _hardly_ your style," he said, his tone syrupy. "What is it _you_ mean to do with her?"

"I will do nothing _with_ her. I mean to see her safely back to Midgard, where she belongs." From the moment word had reached him about this despicable competition, Thor had known what he would have to do—holding a revered creature such as a witch as a prize to be won was unthinkable. He knew he would have to find his way here and win to ensure her safety; he had not expected to find his brother here.

Though, the question did disturb him. "I dread to ask what _you_ mean to do with her?"

Putting on his widest, most charming grin, Loki shook his head. "I have no wish to harm her, if that is your concern."

Thor's brows inched upward—there was no way the other man's intentions could be as innocuous as they sounded. He had a sadly not-entirely-facetious mental image of his brother hanging the poor woman over a cauldron and draining the magical energy from her.

"Then you mean to . . . ?"

Loki pressed a hand to his chest and affected his most innocent look. "I mean to grant the witch her heart's desires, whatever those might be."

Thor waited, folding his arms across his chest.

"Provided she uses her power to serve me faithfully for the rest of her days."

Frowning hard, Thor nodded. "And _there_ it is."

Before he could offer any admonishment—or warning, as he had no intention of holding back, even if this event pitted them against one another—Thor's words were preempted by a blaring announcement that the first of the battles would begin shortly.

On the wall between the enormous doors that led out into the pit of the coliseum, a holographic projection appeared. The brothers both came to a rather unpleasant realization in the same moment. They were each slotted to battle from the very start.

Either because they were the strongest competitors, or because Pathios had something against Asgard . . . .

Loki nodded, scowling as he started making calculations, already, based on what he knew of the other entrants. "If either of us means to claim that witch—"

"We will have to defeat _every_ other participant."

"I _knew_ I hated this planet," Loki said with a sigh.

* * *

Hermione awoke to the sound of a roaring crowd. Before she even opened her eyes, there was the unpleasant notion in her head that she was in the middle—that _she_ was the thing they were so raucous about.

But then, from beneath that cheering, the clang of metal against metal and thud of heavy impact met her ears.

Forcing her eyes open, she immediately winced at the unexpected wash of sunlight in her face. Her surroundings drifted into focus and Hermione could not help but gasp at the scene before her.

"Gladiators?" she asked no one at all in a strained whisper.

Like something straight out of an historically-based action film, she found herself staring into the pit of a coliseum. To her right, Beilor and someone even grander-seeming watched in an apparent state of blasé.

A glance down at herself told her something horrible had happened while she'd been unconscious. Where she was, who these people were, and what was _actually_ happening here were all questions that would have to wait.

Someone had put their hands on her to strip her of her clothing and redress her in a mass of purple fabric! She was sure the dress probably looked _lovely_ under normal circumstances, but the sense of violation—and of knowing the color was likely specifically selected to make her stand out to the competitors down below—was rage inducing.

Her wild, golden-brown locks were no longer loose about her shoulders and down her back, no, no. Touching her hand to the back of her head, she found her hair had been twisted and tucked. She jerked her fingers away as the continued blind examination of her hair brought her to find a small band of spikes, adoring the top of her head.

Frowning, she stuck a bleeding fingertip between her lips. That was when she heard the other sound. The dragging and clanging much closer to her.

Swallowing hard, she looked down at herself, once more. A manacle circled the wrist of her other arm, but the thick chain that dangled from it fell down to disappear beneath the length of her dress. She tugged the hem out of the way to see another manacle around one of her ankles. The chains joined into one and led off.

She did not need to follow the line of metal links with her gaze to know that Beilor held the other end of them.

Frowning, she turned her attention to the manacle around her wrist. Ignoring the sounds of combat from below, she tried to examine it, though with the entirety of the commotion around her, the concentration to perform any wandless charms in an effort to unlock it was not likely to be achieved.

And, more immediately, even if she could manage to unlock them, she did not imagine she would get very far before her absence was discovered and she was dragged right back to her captor.

A horrible, discordant sound rent the air—somewhere between a gong and the blare of a trumpet—and she found herself pulled from her seat.

With an utterly vicious expression twisting her features, she looked toward Beilor. He and the resplendent creature beside him had climbed to their feet, and, _of course,_ he'd yanked her chains to force her to stand, as well.

"I give you our victor for this round, Thor of Asgard!" he bellowed, raising his arms—and unfortunately tugging a reluctant Hermione a few steps closer to him.

The words were jarring, and she looked out into the pit. There, sure enough, stood a rather impressively-built blond man—certainly in line with every depiction she'd ever seen of _the_ Thor.

She nearly jumped out of her skin when the man turned, meeting her gaze across the distance. He looked . . . sad? Perhaps she was imagining that—so desperate for a sympathetic face just now that she assigned the emotion to him.

Regardless of who he really was, or what he might be feeling, he was all bloodied and banged up, and Beilor had just said he was the winner of _this_ round. Surely they would allow him to rest?

"The prize has awakened," her captor shouted, only chuckling when she glared at him. "She must have sensed our grand melee is drawing to its conclusion!"

Hermione winced, covering her ears at the deafening cries that roared back from the crowd.

Beilor waited for the audience to simmer down before he went on. "Let us welcome back our final competitor, Thor's own brother, Loki!"

Again, cacophonous cheering erupted, but this time, she dropped her hands to her sides. Had . . . had he just said Thor's brother, _Loki_?

The doors to the pit opened, and out strolled a man who was probably the same height as Thor, but lanky, with long, jet hair and fair skin. He appeared rather battered, as well, but as he looked up, meeting her gaze as Thor had a moment earlier, a mischievous smirk curved his lips.

Mischief . . . Loki . . . . Well, that certainly fit. Fat lot of good it did for what remained of her sanity.

Even as Beilor and whoever-that-was with him reclaimed their seats while they waited for the first strike to fly, Hermione found she could not sit down. Lingering there at the edge of their platform, she watched the combatants circle each other. They appeared to carry on some muted conversation as they moved.

She could hardly believe what she'd just heard. Was it _really_ possible those were two gods down there? No, of _course_ it wasn't! That was utterly ridiculous!

Then, a sound like a crack of thunder cut the bated silence of the coliseum, and Loki went flying back. Thor stood, a war hammer unlike anything she'd ever seen in his hand as he watched his brother go sailing through the air.

A gasp tore out of her and she gripped her fingers into the platform's railing before her. Without meaning to, she was leaning over a bit, watching in horror as Loki's body hit the ground.

Everything fell strangely, terrifyingly silent and she felt tears gather in her eyes. That man just killed his own brother! How could he have the strength to do what she'd just witnessed?

But then Loki sat up. Hermione jumped in place, her hands shooting up to cover her mouth.

Turning his head this way and that—as though he was doing no more than working a kink from his neck—Loki climbed out of the dent the impact of his body had left in the ground. He drew a heavy sigh, letting it out slow before he shook his head and started back toward the other man.

She thought her heart would stop. There was no way for a human to throw a man the way this Thor had just flung Loki. There was no way for a human to survive that fall and shake it off, as this Loki had done.

Hermione held her hands harder against her mouth, muffling a scream of utter disbelief at the entire thing. Logic had never failed her before, yet relying on it now was no comfort.

From what she'd heard Beilor _say_ , from what she'd witnessed those two do . . . . Logic dictated that those _were_ two gods down there.

Two gods, fighting over ownership of her.


	2. The Unexpected Decision

**Chapter Two**

The Unexpected Decision

 _I can't let this go on_ , she thought in a miserable tone. It had become quite clear—after Loki had shaken off a fourth such strike from Thor, and Thor had treated a few swipes from Loki's impossibly sharp blades as though they were no more than scratches from a kitten—that they were going to be at this a while.

And that, no matter how long this spectacle dragged on, they were determined to kill each other if it came to that. Hermione swallowed hard as she sank back into her seat. If she let it come to that. She couldn't let that happen, she couldn't let someone kill their brother over _her_.

There was only one possible answer. She had to find a way to intervene. She hated the purpose of this fight, but she hated the potential outcome more; she hated being held by Beilor like some useless little lump in a pretty dress.

The battle below had settled into a rhythm, thus so had the cadence of the audience's reactions. She looked toward Beilor and his companion, their attention was rapt on the competition below. Already, she'd gauged the chances of being able to concentrate with the crowd—something less of an issue, now that she could time the ebb and flow of their noise. She'd wagered she couldn't get far from her captor, even had she the chance to undo her manacles—perhaps she didn't need to go far.

Dear Lord, this was the dumbest thing she'd ever thought of, but this madness had to end before one of those supposed gods down there got killed.

Stealing another glance at Beilor to assure herself he wasn't paying her mind, just now, she closed her eyes. Hermione focused on her breathing, steeling her nerves and allowing the sounds around her to melt into rhythmic humming.

Slipping her fingers around the manacle—not just to unlock it, but to keep the thick metal band from hitting the floor—she whispered the charm, " _Alohomora_."

As the manacle opened, she fought not to let herself feel relief, she still had to undo the one on her ankle, after all. Again, she looked at Beilor. He was far too thrilled at seeing the Asgardians trying their damnedest to fell one another.

She crossed her legs, the open manacle in her lap hidden by the many folds of purple fabric. Clamping her hands on either side of the metal cuff, the witch made it appear as though she was doing no more than adjusting the damnable ornate sandals they'd stuck her in. Once more, she closed her eyes and steadied her breathing, once more she focused on her task.

Repeating the charm, she exhaled quietly as the second manacle opened in her fingers.

 _All right, Hermione_ , she thought, looking about one final time as she wound the chains together to give them more weight, _it's now or never_.

So anxious she felt all sensation drain from her hands, she bolted out of her seat and chucked the manacles over the railing of their platform. The shock of the sudden motion pulled Beilor to his feet before he realized what was happening.

Relinquishing his hold on the chain, he let out angry sound that tore across the coliseum, but Hermione was already darting through the crowd.

Just as she hoped, the moment had distracted not only the other spectators, but the combatants, themselves. She forced her legs to carry her as fast as they could move, the thundering footfalls of Beilor's subordinates were sudden and sharp in her ears and she had to force herself not to look back at them.

Shifting her attention to the god-men in the pit, she shouted as she took a hard turn down an aisle that led back to the edge of the platform. "One of you had _better_ be prepared to catch me," she shouted at the top of her lungs, already feeling her heart hammer in her throat from the mere anticipation of what she was about to do.

Thor and Loki exchanged a bewildered glance before they each rushed in her direction.

"You may have to throw me," Loki said from the corner of his mouth as he and his brother headed for the _clearly_ mad witch.

"What?"

"I've already calculated the distance and her trajectory when she jumps. I'll catch her, and then you can grab us, both, before we hit the ground. I don't _like_ it, but throwing me is faster than using your hammer to—" Loki let out a surprised yelp when Thor, without warning, did precisely as requested.

"Don't have to ask twice, Brother," Thor said with a chuckle as he picked up his pace.

Loki hissed out a curse as he shifted his attention. His gaze locked with that of the surprised, and notably frightened, witch as he hurtled in her direction. Quick thing she was, as she seemed to immediately comprehend what was happening.

With a nod, she swallowed hard. Closing her eyes tight, Hermione flung herself from the ledge. Her collision with Loki forced an oomph out of her, but he had to ignore her discomfort as he latched his arms around her and turned, putting himself between her and the wall just in time. The impact jarred them both, leaving her unprepared for the lurching sensation in the pit of her stomach as they slid down, moving as fast as if they were free-falling in the open.

She winced, bracing to hit the ground—even with Loki's lean frame as a cushion.

But that next impact never came. They simply . . . stopped falling?

Opening her eyes, she looked up into his face. Loki's handsome features were twisted in an exasperated scowl. Above them, Thor—well, he was a pretty one, too, wasn't he?—wore a smug grin.

"I think you can put us down, now, Brother," Loki said in a miserable tumble of words.

"Not just yet."

Loki's green eyes narrowed lethally. Hermione could only think sibling squabbles between these two must be _very_ interesting. "And why not?"

Thor snickered quietly as he answered, "Because this is funny."

Hermione sighed. " _Please_ don't make me do something as undignified as having to scramble down both of you after all of that."

"Oh, all right." Though he sounded petulant about it, Thor did as the witch asked, setting Loki on his feet.

Loki's shoulders drooped and he shook his head, seeming to forget that he was still holding Hermione. "Oh, certainly. Your own brother asks and you won't comply, but the let pretty girl ask and you snap to action. That's how it works, is it?"

Arching a brow, Thor met his Loki's gaze with an expression as though the Frost Giant had just sprouted a second head. "Yes, that would be _exactly_ how it works."

"Um, hullo?" Hermione called, drawing their collective attention to her. Good Lord! It was hard enough not blushing over both of them acknowledging that they thought her pretty—after all, look at _them_!—but now that they were each staring directly at her, she needed a second to collect herself, even in this ridiculous situation, before she could go on. "I'm thrilled you both think me pretty, but do you suppose you could put _me_ down, now, Loki?"

His jet brows shot up. "Oh, of course! Apologies." He titled with her in his arms to place her feet on the ground, allowing her a smooth transition from carried to standing.

"That was an unexpectedly pleasant maneuver."

He smirked and offered a fluid, lazy shrug. "Well, I suspect you deserved such after the _hell_ of a time you must've just—"

"This was all _quite_ unexpected." Beilor's voice boomed through the coliseum, reminding the three _un_ pleasantly of their current circumstances. "But I suspect trying to relieve the Asgardians of the Prize now that she is with them would not be an easy task."

Thor sneered, hefting Mjolnir in display. "Why not try it and see?"

"I assure you there is no need for such shows of bravado, Son of Odin." Beilor turned side-to-side, gesturing toward the crowd. Only then did it truly register the audience was making _quite_ the ruckus. Between the excitement of the last few moments and the impossible pitch of Beilor's voice, all that ambient noise had sort of faded into the backdrop for all three of them. "This event was orchestrated to entertain these good people, and entertain them you _have_. Though it is unorthodox of proceedings such as these, I do not see any other choice. This battle ends in draw! The witch, and the spoils that would accompany her ownership, now belong to you, both!"

"Both?" Thor and Loki echoed in unison; neither had considered this might be the outcome of helping her escape her captor.

There were many things in what Beilor had just said with which Hermione, herself, took issue, yet she couldn't seem to focus on the whole _ownership_ problem. Perhaps that was because she'd already heard the idea bandied about several times as though it weren't something a person should be upset over. No, no, she had another question entirely.

"Spoils that 'accompany my ownership?'" She looked to the men standing on either side of her before she asked, "What _spoils_? What the bloody hell is he talking about?"


End file.
